Numerous types of vehicles, such as bicycles, All-Terrain Vehicles (ATV) and motorcycles, utilize a handlebar mounted lever assembly to actuate a braking and/or clutch system. Such actuating lever assemblies include a lever that is positioned about the handlebar so as to allow a user to reach forward from the handlebar with their fingers and grasp the lever. Pulling the lever toward the handlebar with their fingers provides actuation to the braking or clutch system connected to the lever.
To accommodate users having different finger lengths and strengths, as well as different driving styles, braking and clutch systems can provide a lever adjusting mechanism, such as a variable length pushrod that provides translation of the lever closer to or farther away from the handlebar (i.e., reach adjustment). These systems can provide a desired translation of the lever, but as a result, such adjustments can modify other operating characteristics of the lever relative to the braking and clutch systems. For example, adjusting a variable length pushrod on a lever mechanism can significantly modify the “lever ratio,” which thereby increases the amount of actuation force that is required by the user.